1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a user configurable connector, or more particularly, to a connector that can be (i) assembled and/or customized by a user and/or (ii) connected to and/or disconnected from a corresponding connector without the need for special equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
Connectors are used in many applications, including commercial, consumer and military applications. Connectors are typically used to transmit information (e.g., a voltage, current, etc.) from a first device to a second device. For example, a connector may be used to provide power from a power supply to a circuit. By way of another example, a connector may be used to provide analog and/or digital information from a first circuit to a second circuit.
Connectors are generally customized for a particular application. By way of example, assume that a device needs to be connected to two different wire harnesses; a first wire harness that transmits power, and a second wire harness that communicates digital signals. In order to prevent the first wire harness (transmitting power) from being plugged into the logic I/O of the device, and the second wire harness (communicating digital signals) from being plugged into the power supply of the device, different connectors must be used. In other words, the plug used to transmit power to the device must be different from the plug used to communicate digital signals to/from the device. Further, each pin in each plug must be connected to a particular wire. For example, assume that a first receptacle is connected to the power supply of the device. If a first socket in the first receptacle requires a first voltage (e.g., VDD) and a second socket in the first receptacle requires a second voltage (e.g., ground), then a wire carrying the first voltage must be connected to a first pin in a first plug, and a wire carrying the second voltage must be connected to a second pin in the first plug.
A drawback of the foregoing, is that certain equipment is generally required to replace (or swap out) such a connector. For example, if a connector needs to be replaced (e.g., a pin gets corroded or breaks, a wire breaks, etc.), a custom connector (i.e., a duplicate of the one being replaced) must be acquired, and each contact in the new connector must be connected (e.g., crimped, soldered, etc.) to a corresponding wire. Thus, not only does a user need to source a new connector, but he may need certain tools to (i) disconnect the faulty connector (e.g., faulty plug) from a corresponding connector (e.g., receptacle), (ii) disconnect the wire harness from the faulty connector, (iii) connect each contact in the new connector to a corresponding wire, (iv) attach a backshell to the new connector, and (v) connect the new connector (e.g., new plug) to the corresponding connector (e.g., receptacle). Not only is this a waste of time, but it is also a waste of money. This is especially true if the only reason the connector is being replaced is because of a single faulty contact.
Thus, it would be advantageous to manufacture a user configurable connector that can be connected to and disconnected from a corresponding connector without the need for special tools. It would also be advantageous to manufacture a connector that a user can customize (or key) so that it only mates with a corresponding connector. This would allow a user to purchase a common connector and customize (or key) it so that it only works in a particular application (i.e., an application that includes a corresponding, or complimentary-keyed connector). It would further be advantageous to manufacture a connector that includes removable contacts, thereby allowing a user to remove and/or replace a single contact if that contact is deemed to be faulty or damaged.